Using “If-Then” Thinking to Achieve Your Goal.

When you first get one of those epic, crazy, fun, adventure ideas in your head, your thoughts may shift to all the problems you think you will face. This can be overwhelming and likely may cause you to look elsewhere for something easier to do.

 

I recently read a management tip-of-the-day which struck me as appropriate to adventure goal seeking (or any other goal seeking for that matter).

 

First start by considering your goal (say, “I want climb Pike Peak”). Then list the obstacles you expect to face along the way (“Lack of air at high altitude”). Listing the goal helps you focus on the objective. Listing out the problems in getting to the goal helps takes them from the enormity in your imagination and makes them simple word problem statements, each to be addressed. Yes, there are obstacles, but they are typically finite and each problem can be worked.

 

Next, frame what you will do about these obstacles as “if”-“then” statements. Look at the “If” statement first. If this is a problem – what are some solutions, workarounds, or fixes? The you can use these solution towards your “Then” statement(s). To address the lack of O2 at high elevations, for example, you could tell yourself: “If there is a lack of available oxygen at 14k feet, what are some solutions to overcoming this issue? I can train to compensate?, can I carry extra O2?, etc.”

 

Then you can build your “Then” solutions.  “If there is low O2, Then I will use hypoxic training, Then I will  develop an altitude acclimation plan, Then I will carry portable oxygen canisters, Then I will have a exit plan for altitude sickness.”

 

By using if-then statements, you can think through what will get in your way and make a plans to address or overcome them and reach your epic crazy fun adventure goals!